Wednesday, May 30, 2012

In my websurfing tonight, I did a quick search for my name. The entire first page of Google's results were for 1) this blog or 2) the book available for sale on several sites. So far, so good.

But then, on the second page of returned results, I saw a copy of Hardship and Hardtack on eBay. This surprised me as I've sold only a handful of the paperback editions and I know almost everyone who bought one (several of them I met this weekend!). Who would be selling their copy already???

Turns out to be an online retailer in Australia. I'm thinking, "How on earth did one of my books get to Australia?" Then I read this little gem in the small print, "Once you have placed your order we will immediately order it from our supplier. We generally receive items from this supplier within 7 to 14 days. Please ADD the extra time it will take to get from Booktopia's Sydney warehouse to you via Australia Post."

In other words, they'd order it from Createspace, get the book in and then resell it to the purchaser for a highly inflated price (currently $27.40)!

Now, I have no trouble with free enterprise. The very fact that I sell my writing should give you a clue that I have capitalistic leanings (Only leanings. If I were a full-fledged capitalist, I'd be in banking or on Wall Street). And I get my cut from the sale at Createspace, so if he/she wants a cut too, who am I to complain?

No, the part that surprises me most of all? That anyone would bother buying from them when, with a simple Internet search, they can buy direct from Createspace and save the middleman and his markup! Heck, I've put three links in this blog post alone to point readers in the right direction!

If you'd like a print copy of Hardship and Hardtack, let me encourage you to save your pennies and purchase direct here. Or save even more and buy an ebook copy from any one of those sites that comes up in search (although my preference is from Smashwords. The owner treats authors well and you can get all formats on the site).

No matter where you purchase your copy, of course, the important part is that you purchase it. If you don't have your copy yet, why not? In this 150th anniversary year commemorating the start of the American Civil War, this is an easy way to learn a little history and live the life of a Union soldier!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Waterloo, NY is the officially recognized birthplace of Memorial Day. The village takes great pride in the fact that they have recognized our fallen heroes in a ceremony that goes back 145 years, never missing a single year.

They also recognize, however, the more modern attitude toward the three-day weekend as the official start of summer. To that end, they hold a Celebrate/Commemorate festival over the first two days and a more solemn commemoration on Monday. Of course, everyone in Waterloo knows Monday isn't the real commemoration. That honor is reserved for May 30th and, no matter what day of the week the 30th falls, that will be the day the village holds it's most solemn ceremonies to honor the dead.

Today and tomorrow, though, are the Celebrate part of the weekend and I will be there selling copies of Hardship and Hardtack (both paperback and ebook formats) at a reduced price. I'm sharing a booth with my husband (if you haven't seen his paintings, check them out here) and we're right near the monument in the center of the park in downtown Waterloo. If you buy a copy, I'll even sign it for you!

Then, on Saturday evening at 5:00, I'll be joining my husband and Ave and Tina Bauder on Oak Island for another performance of The Last Full Measure, our quartet that performs songs of the Civil War. I'll also be reading from Hardship and Hardtack during that performance. This year there are several re-enactment groups camped on Oak Island. Teddy Roosevelt, Clara Barton, Sojourner Truth and Abraham Lincoln will make appearances as well.

So if you're near Waterloo, NY tomorrow or Sunday, stop in and see me. And then on Monday, take a moment to remember those who gave their all.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Four of us have formed The Last Full Measure, a group that performs Civil War songs interspersed with readings from some of the literature of the time, including some Richard Bassett's letters that are featured in Hardship and Hardtack. We had our first performance last night and had a ton of fun!

Steve is on guitar and harmony, Tina sings soprano, Ave sings melody (and does an incredible reading of the Gettysburg Address), and I sing alto (and harmony). We present a wide range of songs from both the North and the South -- in fact, my husband's uniform is that of a Confederate artilleryman. Ave wears the blue and red of a Northern artillery unit, so both sides are well-represented. In fact, we sing both Maryland, My Maryland and the Northerner's Reply, sung to the same tune.

Our next performance is in Waterloo, NY (the official Birthplace of Memorial Day) at the end of May. I'll post times and the specific location when I find out more.

And of course, both ebook and print copies of Hardship and Hardtack will be available!

The 126th New York Volunteers left Geneva, NY on a hot August day, 1861, ready to do their part to preserve the Union. Little did they know that they'd serve less than a month before becoming prisoners of war and labeled the "Harper's Ferry Cowards." HARDSHIP AND HARDTACK tells the story of their first year of service through the eyes of Richard Bassett, first Lieutenant of Company B, and his brother Erasmus (Rass). Because Richard's wife kept all of her husband's letters, today we have this revealing insight into the everyday life of a Union soldier.

Contact me at cfduprey@yahoo.com if you'd like to set up a reading or booksigning. I'm currently booking for October through December.

About Me

A Rochester, NY native, C.F. Duprey now lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. She is married and has two children and one cat. In her increasingly disappearing spare time she weaves (on a wonderful four-harness loom) and grows flowers, vegetables and weeds in her gardens.
Contact her at cfduprey@yahoo.com